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IN THIS ISSUE NEWS No more Styrofoam Long Beach mayor signs polystyrene ban into law.
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May-Treanor to co-chair council President Trump taps LBCC volleyball director, Olympic gold medalist to help lead the Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
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Former governor who called Long Beach home dies at 89 SH approves two
development negotiations
Deukmejian ‘made friends across the political aisle.’
Cory Bilicko Managing Editor
Agreements with SHP, Vestar would develop sites for retail, residential uses at Heritage Square and 700 E. Spring St.
George Deukmejian, the 35th governor of California and a longtime resident of Long Beach, died in his home on May 8 at the age of 89. The Republican leader, nicknamed “The Iron Duke” for his tight-fisted approach to spending, served two terms as governor, from 1983 to 1991, after a four-year tenure as attorney general of the state. He had previously represented Long Beach in the state assembly and served as a state senator. In November 2013, the newly built, $339-million, 416,000-square-foot Long Beach courthouse was named in his honor. In an interview with the Signal Tribune after the dedication ceremony, Deukmejian reflected on what the naming meant to him. “I consider this an honor as great as when I was elected governor,” Deukmejian said. “I truly am grateful to all the people that had a role in deciding that my name should be on the building, and, especially, I’m so grateful to the people in Long Beach and Signal Hill who supported me all the years that I was in public office.” Seventieth District Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach) on Tuesday called the former
Anita W. Harris Staff Writer
At its May 8 meeting, the Signal Hill City Council, acting as successor agency to the defunct Signal Hill Redevelopment Agency, approved two exclusive right-to-negotiate agreements (ERTN) with Signal Hill Petroleum (SHP) and retail developer Vestar for mixed-use development at two sites. The council also approved renovating the Bixby Ridge Community Trail, a contract for environmental engineering services and a date for appointing City commissioners.
The nonprofit Housing Long Beach is part of a larger coalition named #RentControlNow that advocates for renters’
SHP agreement In their capacity as successor agency to the Signal Hill Redevelopment Agency, council members agreed to extend by another year a restated exclusive agreement to negotiate (REAN) with SHP to develop an almost eight-acre area along Gardena Avenue into Heritage Square, a retail and residential complex, across the street from the recently opened Mother’s Market. The successor agency had entered into a six-month ERTN with SHP on Feb. 28, 2017 and extended it until Jan. 27, 2018 so SHP could continue studying the site for development. The agency agreed on May 8 to amend and extend that agreement for another 12 months to allow additional time for SHP to complete the provisions of the original ERTN. Elise McCaleb, the City’s redevelopment and economic development manager, said that SHP has completed many aspects of project development. “During the negotiating period, Signal Hill Petroleum […] completed […] a site plan, seismic survey [and] Mother’s Market,” she said. “They also began their neighborhood meetings for this project.” McCaleb further stated that the City is pleased with the SHP’s siteplan details. “It features 42,800 square feet of retail, including restaurants and retail space, 199 apartments, four single-family residences facing Rose Avenue– providing a transition between the project and the Crescent Heights historic district– a parking structure, Main Street, outdoor plaza and com-
see RENT page 6
see COUNCIL page 14
File photo
George Deukmejian at the Nov. 21, 2013 dedication ceremony of the Long Beach see DEUKMEJIAN page 11 courthouse named in his honor
Coalition seeks signatures for rent-stabilization, eviction ordinance for November ballot
As nonprofit claims LB residents continue to be displaced, members fight for tenant protections. Denny Cristales Online Editor
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Denny Cristales | Signal Tribune
Josh Butler, executive director of Housing Long Beach, is advocating for a ballot initiative in November seeking rent stabilization and justified eviction treatment for residents in the city. Pictured is Butler at a rent-control meeting Monday at the Scottish Rite Event Center.
took the stage at the Scottish Rite Event Center Monday, May 7 to address the rent-control issue with residents, many of whom were vocal about their support for fair tenant protections.
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Body determined to be that of Long Beach man missing since October.
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Remains identified
Asking the landlord for a sink repair in one’s own apartment usually wouldn’t be a just reason to evict that person out of his unit, but such trivial requests are frequently the untold cause of displacements, according to Josh Butler, executive director of nonprofit Housing Long Beach. Butler, an advocate for rent control and a proposed November ballot initiative dubbed the “Long Beach Fair Rent, Just Cause for Eviction and Homeowner Protection Ordinance,” claims he is fighting– alongside his fellow Housing Long Beach members– in the interest of the community to prevent consistent unjust evictions in the city. “At the end of the day, in a tight rental market, tenants are just at the mercy of their landlords,” Butler told the Signal Tribune in a phone interview Wednesday. “We felt like there needed to be some fair eviction protection.” Housing Long Beach representatives
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May 11, 2018
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